A problem solved --three African-American communities’ voices heard and heeded by elected officials. Thank you!

This afternoon and tonight, watch the St. Augustine City Commission discussion on school board redistricting. You can see it on Cable Channel 3 and on streaming video on the Internet.
Later this afternoon, watch the St. Johns County Commission website. There, you will see the compromise – Plan J – one that hopefully solves the problem on redistricting created last week by the St. Johns County School board.
Our ill-advised St. Johns County School Board created a crisis on Tuesday (November 8th), one that led to Judith Seraphin and I filed complaints with the United States Commission on Civil Rights and the United States Department of Justice last Wednesday (November 9th).
That was five days ago.
Plan J will include all of the City of St. Augustine, as well as West Augustine and Hastings. This St. Johns School Board District will comply with the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments, and the Voting Rights Act.
Plan J will avoid diluting minority voting strength – a violation of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments, and the Voting Rights Act.
Plan J will avoid splitting the City of St. Augustine.
Plan J will avoid costly, protracted expense of hiring civil rights defense lawyers for our all-white, unenlightened St. Johns School Board. They’re lucky.
Problem solved.
The five St. Johns County School Board members impressed me last week as “cognitive misers,” politicians who were more interested in their re-election prospects than in what’s best for our community. They were more attentive to selfish concerns than constitutional rights.
The five St. Johns County School Board members lack respect for the need to promote diversity. They made up their minds before hearing public comment. They insulted the African-Americans who spoke, including snooty remarks directed by one board member in the direction of the Rev. Ron Rawls, pastor of the St. Paul A.M.E. Church and Chairman of the NAACP Chapter.
Our St. Johns County School Board is lucky that people with the community’s interest at heart have saved the day. Our St. Johns County School Board must earn this reprieve.
Our St. Johns County School Board must learn and grow to be more sensitive to African-American and low-income people. Our City of St. Augustine and St. Johns County governments have grown in recent years, promoting healing of ancient wounds. Our St. Johns School Board lags far behind. I was shocked at how disrespectful School Board members were toward African-Americans and their concerns. I had never attended a St. Johns County School Board meeting before November 8th.
Our School Board now probably realizes that our community is united in support of equality – white and black, young and old, rich and poor – we are all in this together! We shall overcome. And we take care of our own!